Monday, August 29, 2005

Scenes from Tokyo

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Those D&G Jeans

People in the US are getting a little precious (as always) over D&G jeans...they are a bit below the waist. I think they are okay......on Brad Pitt - see fight club - or a muscle or non muscle mary. But those D&G models....no thanks!

Speaking of things around the waist I am waiting for the rest of the western world to catch up with Japan (guys anyway) and start wearing a "pouch" around their waist. (picture to come) These "pouches" usually come in "leather" and are used to store cash, mobiles and even product so you can give that hair a retouch when it needs it..I"m always seeing the J-boys doing it!

New designers in the making

I am happy to see some new Japanese designers rising in the ranks in Melbourne such as Hoshika Oshimie and husband Tatsuyoshi Kawabata with their label; ESS-HOSHIKA ( I have mentioned this before) They will be taking part in the Melbourne Spring Fashion Weeks "New Order" show September 9.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

TOTE designs

Just thought I would give a sneak preview of my TOTE bags that I been busily producing between work and play. I'm not going to put them all up on my blog, so you'll just have to visit ebay in a few weeks.....And these bags are for friends..

Monday, August 22, 2005

Buzz

I did a bit of research on e-bay about opening a store, I discovered there are heaps of them online! Woa! And not to mention prices for an online store begin from around $15.00 per month. Since my label is in the embryonic stage and I intend to build it slowly, an e-bay store is out of my budget. I'm still all for using e-bay though! I also think it may be too tough to have an online store for a up and coming designer like myself! I mean if I was L.A.M.B it would be okay! So I'll put the store back on the clothing rack for now!

Registering my business name is going to cost me $70 for 3 years which is okay and means that nobody else can use my name!

Also been looking at woven clothing labels...did some research but got lazy and settled on clothinglabels4u.com which is based in the USA..somwhere! Actually her work looked DaM gooD! And prices are reasonable but it will pay to do more research...sigh..

I've also been reading a blog at fashionincubator.com. It's a Canadian website built for designers in Toronto, Canada. Anyway back to the blog. Carolyn Rohaly has begun her journey in the fashion world and has written about it. She talks about the excitment and the trauma of starting a flowering business. She also mentions a book by the name of Lovemarks, written by Kevin Roberts. Apparently it's a must read! So you can guess what I want for my birthday! It's good to know there are others blogging about their adventures in the fashion business!

Speaking of the net I also came across another nifty site for designers who can't afford to travel to Tokyo. It's a proffessional sight that....sigh....requires you to become a member at a cost of $800 USD a year which is a bargain if your cashed up like me!...NOT! I'm sure it's a great sight full of useful information but for now it's only for the big guys...Guess I'll just have to stay in Japan!

Sunday, August 14, 2005

I'm not promoting it but...

I was visting a friend the other day when I spied upon her shelf, a book by the name of "Shopping Secrets". It also mentioned Melbourne on the cover so I thought "here we go..lets see what it's trying to offer"....I was stunned..surprised even! Finally someone had put togther a book for the stylishly challenged and for people who can't be bothered looking for those hidden shops that are only found out by word of mouth or simply stumbling across it.

It had all my favourites plus a few surprises...fat 52 and 72...the Melbourne Design and Fashion Incubator...I would have been interested in getting a copy for myself however I'm not in Melbourne so why bother...

There is a website. I checked it out, however it only has a sprinkling of shop info..but here's the link anyway.

Logo upgrade

Monday, August 08, 2005

Who is the Harajuku Girl?

Who is the Harajuku girl? Are they the girls that dress up and hang out near Yoyogi park on Sundays waiting to be photographed? Or Are they the girls that wear multilayer, mutli- accessory and brash threads that parade around Takeshita and Harajuku Street - also known as in the monthly magaizine as "fruits".

Gwen Stefani describes Harajuku girls as wearing Vivieen Westwood, a Bathing Ape, having wicked style and claims to be their biggest fan. But perhaps this is just her definition of the Harajuku girl.

I define this underground culture of style now called by the west Harajuku Girl, as a girl or more recently, a guy who mixes brands, vintage and self produced pieces together to form an extension of their personality and taste and perhaps even a statement.

In his book Fresh Fruits, Shoichi Aoki describes the culture of "Fruits" as a result of teenagers "desire to be different from their peers" which causes a ripple effect. Pretty soon the emerging style becomes the current trend. So do these "Fruits" come under the Harajuku girl banner? If they do, they are fashion inovators, masters of style that are so ahead of their time and looked upon in awe that even pop stars from the west such as Gwen Stefani are even making songs praising their style.

Just who is exactly the Harajuku girl remains a secret much like the clothes these girls and guys will be wearing in the near future. But for now lets enjoy this culture that is emerging from the depths of Tokyo's streets for too soon it may become commerical.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Sunday Streets

Whilst walking near Yoyogi Park today to check out the lolitas and goths I was surprised to find a new breed of this culture. That is the young foreinger. It seems that overseas students and expats are joining in this subculture bringing in their own style from their country. Others however have decided to adopt the local look. No matter what style the choose, they all have the same thing in common. Having fun with their own style and the subculture of fashion and lifestyle that they belong to. Which is what we all should be doing.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

counter

Friday, August 05, 2005

TOTE label going online

Okay I have finally decided to put some of my pieces for sale online. I am going to be set up shop on ebay as it's the easiest and simplest way to sell my pieces on an international scale. I will start off with TOTE bags of course, then add mens shirts, hats and other pieces as I go along.....it may be a slow process, working and producing my own designs at the same time, but I think I can do it and Tokyo is the place to buy fabrics from around the world and not to mention Kimono fabric which is my favourite! In particular vintage!

My issues with Gwen

Gwen you were great in No Doubt...then I saw your clip "Watcha waiting for"...fantastic I have to say! Almost inspiring... Waited eagerly for your CD. Then the Gwen bubble burst...heard you rant about Harajuku girls and just how cool they were..yes we know that Gwen but do you have to make a song and actually put it on a CD...!...sorry but the word is TRAGIC! I expected more from you. The L.A.M.B label has some great designs...just don't go all Harajuku tryhard on us....but if you do ...do it properly and send your team to Tokyo for research...sorry Gwen. Please forgive me I still like you and know we can be friends still...humm can I get smacked by lawyers for this sorta thing...?

Whats coming into style

Punk chic with a hint of goth... lots of red, green and black. Knee high socks and perhaps even slim socks (see japanese fashion 5 years ago). Vivienne Westwood and...gulp...Gwen Stefani's - L.A.M.B. label for the majority.....Harajuku tryhard...forget the clip, go to Harajuku if you want the look....(she got it wrong on the video clip...surley you've been there Gwen? Your songs tragically say enough about them) sorry got distracted....The Harajuku "girl" look to come in but be done very badly....sadly....

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

How to set a trend/fad

It's just four steps to make a trend - Try it at home.

1.

Take something that you like and know it will be a hit with your friends...say for example some exotic tea or unknown T-shirt brand. Let them try it or see it. Tell them you bought it from one of those cool "underground hip new designer stores or a market somewhere that you can't remember the name of. TIP: be confident, but casual when you talk about it. Like it's almost not important.

2.

Walk into a few shops/cafes with one of your friends and ask for whatever your trying to make trendy. When they announce "It's not in stock" pretend to be disappointed. Tell them you saw it last week in some other stylish city for example ,if you live in LA, you say NY. For London it's Paris. Quietly mention that a friend saw some famous person wearing/eating it in a magazine a few weeks back.

3.

Casually mention to your gay friends that Brad or Orlando loves it.

4.

Sit back. keep wearing/eating/using it and within 3 months everyone will want it!